The Second Chance
by Ira-Grace White
Summary: Dimitrius Gans is confronted by Donna about his waning faith. What will his answer be?
1. Chapter 1

**A new story about Dimitrius Gans coming back to a close relationship with God. I'm a Christian writer, so I like to combine elements of faith with my stories. I wanted to let all of you wonderful readers know before you continue reading so that you will now what to expect! Please read, review, and enjoy! God bless!**

"Today's message is on an often-confusing topic. What is the difference between God's mercy and grace? In opening, mercy is God not giving us what we deserve in punishment. Grace is God giving us what we don't deserve in blessing. Now let's open in prayer before I go into more detail," Pastor Andrew Dustin started his sermon. It was only the start, but it was all that Dimitrius Gans heard that day. That is, until they got home from church. But the sermon that Donna was preaching to him was a lot different than the one that Pastor Andrew had preached earlier.

"D, how could you?" Donna scolded when their children, eleven year old Tanya and ten year old Davy, were in their rooms changing out of their best clothes before lunch.

"What?" D asked evasively.

"You know very well what," Donna snapped. "Falling asleep in church like that. Is that the example that you want our kids to follow? Do you want them to think about church only as a boring place that is a place for people to nap? Is that what you want?"

"Of course not." D tried to placate his wife, but she was not going to be calmed. She turned to him with her eyes flashing.

"D, what exactly do you think about church anymore?" Donna demanded.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Exactly what I said," Donna retorted. "When I fell in love with you, you were a strong Christian. I knew that you would be the spiritual leader of our home. I appreciated that about you; I enjoyed that in our relationship. You helped me grow in my faith. We went to church every time the doors were open. Hear that, Dimitrius Gans? _We_ went."

D tried to ignore her angry words. Angry, _true_ words.

Donna was not finished. "Somewhere along the way it seems like you forgot your faith and commitment to God." Her shoulders slumped and she leaned dejectedly against the counter. Her dark brown eyes brimmed over with tears. "Lately I've been alone at church, D. It's me who cares that the kids go to Sunday school and Vacation Bible School and Kid's Bible Club. It's me who is involved in our church - _our_ church. I'm the one who is in prayer groups and Bible studies and, so it appears, the only one who is awake during services." She paused and looked at D for a long minute. He hated himself for the fact that he could not meet her gaze as she finished with, "What do you really think about church now, D? I need to know."

The sound of two pairs of feet running down the hall toward the kitchen provided the perfect excuse to delay the conversation.

"I don't want to talk about it around the kids," D stated. Donna's gentle eyes, filled with tears, held a tint of reproach that hurt him deeply. He turned away. "I'm going to go change before lunch."

"All right," Donna sighed. "Just please, give me an answer soon."

 _What answer would that be?_ D asked himself. He honestly did not know.


	2. Chapter 2

Through lunch and the rest of the day D and Donna avoided any mention of their conversation. Donna was her normal sweet self, but D could tell that she had not forgotten and that she was concerned as to what his answer would be.

The next day D left for work. Donna kissed him goodbye the same as ever and waved to him from their living room window as he left. He went about the day as normal, filling in paperwork and making phone calls, all while thinking about his conversation with Donna the day before.

 _What do I think about God? I used to be sure, but I haven't spent much time thinking about it lately._

"D, I need to go out to execute a warrant," Jack called to him. "Can you come to give me some back-up?"

"Sure, man," D said. He stood up and grabbed his suit coat. "Let's go."

It was a routine execution of a warrant. It was a quiet neighbourhood. It was a non-violent offender. It was supposed to be simple.

It was not.

Within seconds of their arrival at the doorstep, gunfire started. Bullets splintered through the wooden door and shattered the glass.

Apparently, someone had been expecting them.

The two agents desperately called for back-up. They could only hope that it would arrive before it was too late.

It almost was.

As D tried to find cover along the side of the house he suddenly felt a searing pain in his leg. He had been shot before and he knew that was what that had happened.

"D, you okay?" he heard Jack yell from his position across the yard.

"I'm shot, but fine," D said. _That does not make a lot of sense._ "I'll need an ambulance, but for now I can keep going. Any visual on the shooters?"

"No."

Jack and D used their guns as effectively as they could. They had determined that their were at least two shooters but it was hard to see if there were any more people. Blind shots toward the windows and door of the house seemed to have no affect.

Then there was another shot at D. It hit his shooting arm. Blood made it hard to tell how severe the wound was, but the pain became unbearable. He began to feel himself growing weaker.

"D, you okay?" Jack yelled over the shots.

"I'm loosing...strength," he called.

"You've got to hold on, D," Jack yelled desperately. "You need to stay conscious until help arrives. Hold on!"

 _God, help me!_ D prayed. In that moment he knew what he thought about God. Suddenly everything that had been keeping him away from God and church and growing in his faith seemed paltry. When compared to his standing with an eternal God, nothing else mattered.

D clenched his teeth against the agonizing pain and prayed mentally. _God, You're the only One who can help me. Please, get me out of this mess alive and help me back to my family. Please. I know that I haven't been a good Christian lately, but I promise that I'll do better in the future. Just please, save my life. Please help me._

Then everything went black.


	3. Chapter 3

**And here is the third and final part of this story. I hope that you all enjoyed! Please read and review! God bless!**

Between visitors and pain medications that put him to sleep, D did not have time to talk to Donna immediately. Finally, on Tuesday night they were alone together. He was back home and planning to return to his desk the next day, but for the moment he was glad to rest in bed with Donna by his side.

"Do you need any pills or something else?" Donna asked, concerned.

"No, darling," he said. "Just sit down and listen to something that I've been wanting to tell you."

Donna tilted her head, curious.

His voice was hoarse. "When I was at that house on Monday, I was scared."

"I can imagine."

"There was only one thing that I could do after my shooting arm was hit. What do you think that was?"

"Think of me?"

"Of course." He kissed Donna. When he pulled back again he added, "But I did something else too, besides that. Can you guess what you would do in that kind of life-or-death situation?"

"Pray." Donna's eyes were regaining that beautiful, happy shine.

"Yep. I prayed."

"And?"

D shifted so that he could better look into Donna's gorgeous face. "I promised God that if He helped me I would be a better Christian."

"God doesn't need our promises," Donna gently reminded him, stroking his arm.

"But when we do promise, we need to keep our promises," Dimitrius stated, full with determination. "I want to be back to the Christian that I used to be - one who cared for God more than anything else. I want God to be the most important part of my life. I want to be involved at church with you - I don't want you to be there by yourself. I'm done with being a Sunday-morning-only Christian. Tomorrow's Wednesday, right?"

Donna nodded.

"What time does the Bible study and prayer meeting start?"

"Seven o'clock."

"What do you say to us going tomorrow? As a family?"

Donna leaned against him and embraced him, her expressive face full of joy. "I would say, it's an answer to my prayers of the last year."

D smiled. "You know, it feels like God has shown me a bit of His mercy - or would it be grace?" He shrugged. "I should have listened better on Sunday."

"I told you so!" Donna teased.

"Well, there's next Sunday," D said. "Anyway, all I know is that God gave me a second chance to correct my mistakes, and I'm not going to waste it."

As he drifted off to sleep, D prayed once again. _Thank You, God. Thank You that I am still alive and thank You for this second chance. I won't waste it. I promise._


End file.
